HDJdreams
SILVER Star
Tonight I was working on the 3rd row seat. The bar that goes across the bottom had come loose, so the seat was not latching to the floor. So my kids jumped up and down on it, trying to get it to latch. They ended up tweaking the frame to point where it would not catch, even after the cross bar was properly attached. I finally got it to where it would catch, but not sure if it will work as smoothly as before.
I remember looking around the back of the 80, admiring how well built the 80 is, then looking at the wear and tear of 18 years and lamenting that we can't get anything like that now. There is literally nothing on the U.S. market to replace it. I just had a strong moment of sadness, that I can't buy a brand new 80, I have one of the last ones that was sold in the U.S. and looking at how worn it was.
I have had my 97 (first sold March of 98) for 14 years and put 200,000 miles of the 240,000 miles on it. I have tried to take care of it, but with life and some tough times, I have fallen further and further behind. I have not done the head gasket yet, the motor leaks oil out of the top and a lot of oil out the bottom. Iron Pig told me to fix it I would have to redo all the seals on the bottom end as well as going through the head and replace the valve seals. The dripping feels like the ticking of a time bomb in the driveway.
I have put off rebuilding the 1FZ-FE, partly because of money, but mostly because I would really like a more modern engine+tranny. Something that is reliable, fits well, has a lot more power and gets better economy. I have seen several threads on GM V8 with 4 speed auto swaps, but if I swap a motor, I have to get more gears too. I applaud Ayra Ebrahimi for his efforts to develop a kit for V8 with a 6L80, but am concerned at how it sounds like he is struggling to make it fit cleanly, and unfortunately it sounds like the project is on the back burner. So I am planning on putting a turbo on the 1 FZ-FE, then rebuilding it.
My 80 is a daily driver, so I can't have it down for a long period of time to work through a swap, or even do major catch up work for that matter. I used to enjoy working on a project 4x4, but I absolutely hate having to work on something that I NEED to drive.
Anyway, just a lament that they "don't make them like they used to." I feel like the 80 was the best family 4x4 to ever reach U.S. shores. It was the best combination of capability with comfortable ride, with seating for 6+. I love having cruise control and full time 4wd, A/C is a must, but would honestly have preferred cloth to leather. I have hated Toyota that they never offered the U.S. the options they offered to other markets, especially diesels and the 105 series.
I was wondering if I will ever be able to get my TLC back to its former glory along with functional updates. It is almost like the bell is tolling as Beno posts to the thread of discontinued parts.
I remember looking around the back of the 80, admiring how well built the 80 is, then looking at the wear and tear of 18 years and lamenting that we can't get anything like that now. There is literally nothing on the U.S. market to replace it. I just had a strong moment of sadness, that I can't buy a brand new 80, I have one of the last ones that was sold in the U.S. and looking at how worn it was.
I have had my 97 (first sold March of 98) for 14 years and put 200,000 miles of the 240,000 miles on it. I have tried to take care of it, but with life and some tough times, I have fallen further and further behind. I have not done the head gasket yet, the motor leaks oil out of the top and a lot of oil out the bottom. Iron Pig told me to fix it I would have to redo all the seals on the bottom end as well as going through the head and replace the valve seals. The dripping feels like the ticking of a time bomb in the driveway.
I have put off rebuilding the 1FZ-FE, partly because of money, but mostly because I would really like a more modern engine+tranny. Something that is reliable, fits well, has a lot more power and gets better economy. I have seen several threads on GM V8 with 4 speed auto swaps, but if I swap a motor, I have to get more gears too. I applaud Ayra Ebrahimi for his efforts to develop a kit for V8 with a 6L80, but am concerned at how it sounds like he is struggling to make it fit cleanly, and unfortunately it sounds like the project is on the back burner. So I am planning on putting a turbo on the 1 FZ-FE, then rebuilding it.
My 80 is a daily driver, so I can't have it down for a long period of time to work through a swap, or even do major catch up work for that matter. I used to enjoy working on a project 4x4, but I absolutely hate having to work on something that I NEED to drive.
Anyway, just a lament that they "don't make them like they used to." I feel like the 80 was the best family 4x4 to ever reach U.S. shores. It was the best combination of capability with comfortable ride, with seating for 6+. I love having cruise control and full time 4wd, A/C is a must, but would honestly have preferred cloth to leather. I have hated Toyota that they never offered the U.S. the options they offered to other markets, especially diesels and the 105 series.
I was wondering if I will ever be able to get my TLC back to its former glory along with functional updates. It is almost like the bell is tolling as Beno posts to the thread of discontinued parts.
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